The present invention relates in general to bulk material containers, and more particularly to a container for liquid or viscous material in which control is exercised over the discharge rate of the liquid or viscous material from the container.
The U.S. Pat. No. 3,417,901, to Sands, issued on Dec. 24. 1968, for Reusable Pressurized Dispensing Device, discloses a dispenser. Disposed at the bottom of the dispenser is a sealed propellant bag filled with an expansion gas, such as freon. Seated on top of the propellant bag is a product bag. The product bag includes a neck fitted to a discharge valve. As the gas in the propellant bag is brought to an operating temperature, the propellant bag expands to compress the product bag forcing the material stored therein to be discharged through the discharge valve. Liquifying the gas stored in the propellant bag causes the propellant bag to deflate.
The U.S. Pat. No. 4,109,831, to Culpepper, et al., issued on Aug. 29, 1978, for Portable Self-Contained Lubricating Apparatus, discloses a lubricant contained in bulk in the outer container. The lubricant is discharged from the bottom of the outer container. A flexible bladder is disposed in the outer container above the lubricant. Air is introduced into the bladder to expand the bladder for aiding in the discharge of the lubricant from the outer container by applying a pressure thereagainst.
The U.S. Pat. No. 3,265,254, to Carter, et al., issued on Aug. 9, 1966, for Stacked Barrels Containing Collapsible Bags, disclosed a fluid-tight container. A collapsible bag containing a beverage is disposed within a container and rests on a fixedly positioned division plate. The neck of the bag communicates with a dispenser-valve unit. Pressurized air is introduced into the air tight container below the division plate. The air under pressure is applied to the bag and compresses the bag to dispense a beverage through the dispenser-valve unit at the top of the air tight container.
The U.S. Pat. No. 3,162,328, to Frume, issued on Dec. 22, 1964, for Dispenser For Semi-Inert Fluid Material, discloses a flexible cone containing mixed mortar disposed within a cylindrical housing. At the top of the housing is a cover which has a discharge nozzle. At the bottom of the housing is an airflow regulator valve to regulate the air under pressure flowing into the housing below the flexible cone. As air under pressure is admitted into the housing, it acts against the flexible cone to force the cone upwardly within the container for the discharge of mortar in the cone through the discharge nozzle.
The U.S. Pat. No. 4,577,783, to Racca et al., issued on Mar. 25, 1986 for Dispenser, discloses a container with an outlet valve at the bottom of the container through which passes fluid material stored in the container. A follower plate contacting the fluid material forces the fluid material out of the container through the outlet valve. The U.S. Pat. No. 3,781,942, to Coleman, issued on Jan. 1, 1974, for Follower For Material Container, discloses a bulk material container for storing viscous material in which container is a flexible follower. At the bottom of the container is a discharge outlet. The flexible follower is used in the withdrawing of the viscous material from the bulk material container.